Given the choice, would you take the stairs or the escalator?
- Stairs
- Escalator
0
voters
It’s like I suspected (so far). We are not normal here! Apparently only 2% of people “out there” choose the stairs.
What got me thinking was this blog post:
It’s worth a read but the key points, which I think he makes without being too preachy, are that: excessive comfort is bad (unhealthy and demoralising); doing hard things usually makes us feel good; some “purposeful hardship” is good; buy better tools not better chairs. Have always liked this guy’s stuff and am tempted to buy the book he mentions in the post.
1 Like
The long term impact of excessive comfort was also covered in the film Wall-E. 
12 Likes
Have you ever taken the stairs at Covent Garden?
Fuck dat!!!
I read that yesterday 
And refreshed myself with some older articles, too …
… mainly how to kill my £1,332 grocery bill 
3 Likes
Yes I have. Once 
4 Likes
I also walked all the way up la tour eiffel as I was too cheap to pay
5 Likes
As a child I always wanted to go up the down escalator, but my parents never let me.
5 Likes
haha when we went out for tapas a couple of weekends ago in a restaurant on the 27th floor of a skyscraper, Mrs just gave me a look at the bottom as if to say “don’t even think about it” and we got in the lift.
Did try to walk down though, to concerned stares from the waiters. But we only got 2 flights down (into a Chinese restaurant, what are the chances) and the stairs just fizzled out so we had to take the lift for the next 25 anyways
@buzz: it’s probably one of those scenarios where better to seek forgiveness than permission
2 Likes
Have asked the same question on a health professionals forum. Wonder if the split will be similar 
edit: 63% stairs, 37% escalator after 16 votes
edit: 60% stairs, 40% escalator after 47 votes
I think it’s contextual. Going into a large shop, with escalators right in front of you, go for it as the stairs will take 10 mins to find.
Anything above 5th floor in a hotel, take the lift.
Any time it’s practical, take the stairs
3 Likes
Judging by the state of the stairwell in many hotels - and how hard they can be to find, they are not expecting many people to go above floor 1 or 2.
3 Likes
Unless we’re talking about 600 floors I usually take the stairs.
I do regularly see people taking the lift for 1 floor in our building as I go past them on the ground and see them coming out. I roll my eyes 
3 Likes
It was rule in one of the buildings I used to work in that the lift shouldn’t be used for less than 3 floors.
Cue much tutting when someone got in and pressed the next floor up.
3 Likes
It was a rule in one company I worked with that you were not allowed to use the stairs if you had anything in your hands. Not surprisingly there were high numbers of compliance 
6 Likes
I did some consulting with British Gas, you had to hold the handrail when using the stairs and people were encouraged to tell people to do so or dob them in. You also had to reverse park your car in the space - which to be honest i agree with. Anyone who cant reverse park shouldnt be driving,
3 Likes
Stairs almost always, only exception is the tube at Euston when on the Northern Line, its already a sweat fest and there are 3 flights to go up
3 Likes
Typically always take the stairs. Never take the lift in 2/3 storey buildings
Will take the escalator at stations like Angel. They’re steep and long!
4 Likes
I am pretty sure Angel is the deepest station on the tube, definitely one for the escalators.
2 Likes
I mostly walk up/down the escalator on the tube. I’m not hunting about for a dingy spiral staircase just for a few extra steps.
2 Likes